Region 7 News Room

The Michigan Public Health Week Partnership is accepting nominees for the 14th annual Hometown Health Hero Award. The purpose of the Hometown Health Hero award is to recognize individuals and organizations which have made significant contributions to protect and improve their community’s health. Hometown Health Hero awards are presented every April as part of Michigan’s Public Health Week. The Michigan Public Health Week celebration takes place at the State Capitol on April 19, 2017. A nomination form is linked below. Completed nomination forms should be sent to Jim Koval via email at kovalj@michigan.gov or fax at 517-335-8392 by February 24, 2017.

Shared from the Guardian of Public HealthDespite studies demonstrating that the annual influenza vaccination of healthcare workers reduces morbidity and mortality among vulnerable patients, vaccination rates remain very low, particularly in nursing staff. Educational programs have failed to improve rates, which has led to a diverse range of enforced approaches being advocated and implemented.

One by one, the viruses have slipped from their hiding places in nature to threaten global populations — SARS, MERS, Zika.​In each case, scientists have scrambled to identify the viruses and to develop vaccines or drugs to stop their spread. After each crisis, the assessment has been the same: Countermeasures were not ready in time to help in the containment effort.Read More>>